Coop or crate



4 COOP 0B. CRATE.

No; 259,522.` Patented June 13, 1882.

NITED STATES ATENT ritten COOP OR CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,522, dated June 13,1882.

Application lcd April 24, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, LEONIIART F. Enoes CHER, ot' Bruce, in the county ofBarren and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in (loops or Crates; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswillenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make anduse it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which formpart of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in coops or crates; and itconsists in the combination of the side pieces, which are grooved alongeach of their inner edges and across their ends, the end pieces, whichare held between the side pieces when the side pieces are clampedtogether by bolts, and a top and bottom portion, which consists of anumber of slats which are loosely connected together by means ot'straps, wires, cord, chains, or other flexible materials, and whichparts are made to catch in the grooves in the side pieces, as will bemore fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide a coop or crate for thetransportation of poultry, fruit, or other similar articles, and whichcan be taken apart and packed into a very small space when empty, so asnot to occupy so much room,and thus save the cost ot' transportationwhen empty.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of myinyention. Fig. 2 is an end view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section. Fig. et is a verticallongitudinal section of the same. Fig. 5 is a detached view of one ofthe side pieces.

A represents the side pieces, which are formed of four suitable timbers,which are secured together in any suitable manner, and which then havethe slats B nailed across them. The upper one of the timbers in eachside has its end made to extend any suitable distance beyond the coop orcrate for the purpose of forming ahandle, C, by means of which the coopor crate can be easily carried around. Along the inner edge of each sidepiece, A, are made the longitudinal parallel grooves D, and extendingacross the side at each end is the vertical groove E. In the verticalgroove E the ends of the end pieces, F, are made to catch, and these endpieces are securely held between the ends of the sides of the coop or(Model.)

crate by means of the clamping-bolts, which are made removable, so thatthe coop or crate can be readily taken apart when itis not needed foruse.

The bottom of the crate or' coop is formed of a number of slats, I,which are loosely connected together by means of a cord,wire, strap, orother flexible material, J, which is fastened to the under side of eachslat, so as to string them all-together. These slats J are fastenedtogether just close enough to have their edges always in contact, sothat when the slats J are slipped into the grooves of the inner edges ofthe two sides their edges will always be in contact with each other, andthus form a solid door.

The top of the crate is formed of a number of strips or slats, L, whichare fastened to the same rope, cord, wire, or strap as the bottom slats,but at a greater distance apart, so that when placed in position theywill be separated sufficiently far apart to form an open top. The bottomand top slats are united together by the same cord, wire, or strap, butare separated far-enough from each other to allow the cord, wire, orstrap to pass up over one end of the crate or box, as shown. No slats orstrips of any kind are connected to the wire or cords where they pass upover the ends of the coop or crate, because none are needed at thisplace, for the end ofthe crate is closed by one of the end pieces. Eachof the cords, wires, or straps have secured to their free ends suitablehooks and eyes, O, so that after the bottom and top parts have beenslipped into the grooves made to receive them in the side pieces, A,they can be fastened together, so that there is no chance for them tobecome accidentally displaced.

When the coop or crate is not needed for immediate use it is onlynecessary to unfasten the hooks or eyes, withdraw the top and bottomslats, then remove the bolts P, and the `whole coop or crate is dividedinto a number of pieces which can be packed into a very compact bundle,so as to occupy as little room as possible.

Should it be necessary at any time to take poultry or any article fromthe crate, it is only necessary to loosen the hooks and eyes and thenthat end of the top can be moved back a suitable distance to allow thehand to be freely inserted and any article removed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A coop or crate composedof the grooved side pieces, the end pieces which are held between theside pieces by means of clampingboits, and the exible top and bottomparts, which are slipped into the grooves made in the inner edges of theside pieces, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a crate or coop, the combination of the side pieces, A, providedwith the grooves D E, end pieces, F, and bolts P, with the series ofstrips I L, secured to the cords or bands J, substantially as described.

LEONHRT FREDRICH FROESCHER.

Witnesses ADoLPII RAPP, J. T. G. WINLOCK.

